Hi all.

Not having a good time of it... and as the title suggests I need a little motivation and support.

It may not seem like a big deal to some of you- and really it shouldn't be a big deal to me, but I can't help but think I'm going down a slippery slope (or rather, up a slippery slope).

I've gained a pound in the last week and I'm not sure what I've done wrong. Usually, Friday is my no-kitchen night- we go out for tea. My dinner was fairly innocuous- chicken cordon bleu (I stripped the chicken of its crumbing) and swapped the chips for extra salad- even ate my mate's salad. No dessert.

Saturday I finished my mate's birthday cake and made some brownies- didn't eat a lot of the batter either. Soup for lunch. Usual karate class on Saturday morning with Grapenuts and banana for breakfast. I didn't do great on Saturday night- pizza, garlic bread, and 2 small slices of cake.

Sunday was relatively benign, as usual. Monday and Tuesday were too, though I had some chips and a small slice of cake I made on Saturday.

I haven't been going to the gym for the last month- I've been working full time instead of part time and I'm just not disciplined enough to get up at 6am for a 7am workout and get to work at 10 (2 hour workout and one hour getting ready for work).

I'm writing down what I eat again and calculating the calories, but damn I wish there was an easier way. I don't want to gain back everything I've lost (see ticker), but I feel that I'm heading that way.

I need a

Definitely a hug, I can do that.

And I understand the panic, I'm frequently afraid that I'll suddenly have forgotten how to do it, after all, I've forgotten many times before.

Congratulations on your 17kg (just done the conversion sum), great result.

I think the best way to approach it is entirely clinically, I don't think there is a substitute for counting and budgetting the calories. Are you able to be accurate about bits of cake and so on? They add up very quickly.

Have a day and then a week of recording absooolutely everything and see if that makes a difference. And are you eating enough? Too low can really scupper weightloss.

Another huggglle.

I've been trying since I was 10 to lose weight- I'm almost 30 now. And sometimes it's overwhelming to think that in 19 years I haven't managed to do anything, and now that I'm losing, I'm deathly afraid that I'll gain it all back and be P-H-A-T again (like my granny always said I was).

My grandma, my mother and my younger sister always said that when it's your time to lose (or do anything), you'll be able to do it.

Thanks for the hugs. I needed that. It's not like me to whine or moan about something (I prefer to suffer in silence), so advice and hugs is much appreciated.

Hi there!

You need to cut yourself some slack and wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a GREAT BIG HUG. RIGHT NOW!!!! Just DO i!!!!

Most of us here have been fighting this battle for years. Everyone has their own approach. And you ARE doing well (17 kg?! CRAZY good!!!). And it is normal to be discouraged from time to time. Keep your own path, in your own time, do what works for you, and tune out all the other noise about your weight. What your relatives say is their personal opinion. MY personal expeirence is that if you CHOOSE to make it happen, it will. It just won't happen on its own when "the time is right". It takes dedication, planning, committment, and discipline, not luck...

You CAN do this. You WILL do this. You CAN transform your life. Lots of us are still works in progress, but we are doing it. And so can YOU...

As for keeping it off, perhaps check out the Maintainers' site. You can read their stories, see what works for them, and incorporate their ideas RIGHT NOW. Because if you LIVE like a Maintainer, you will BE a maintainer. If you live like a yo-yo dieter (on and off and on and off) you WILL be a yoyo. And you don't want that.

Chin up! Butt kick over!!!

PM me any time...


Kira

The fact that you are recognizing it now, before it gets any worse, is a good sign. You'll get back into it, don't worry. It's like riding a bike

HUGS! And can I just say that your avatar CRACKS ME UP! Seriously.

awwwww its hard when work causes an end to an exercise regime, my advice would just to be as active as possible at all times, get off the bus a stop earlier, walk up the stairs, just all the usual stuff to ensure you stay active while you are not able to go to the gym *hugs* Good luck, you can do it

Molly,
Big Hugs! I think we all get pretty weary at times with all tht has to go into this healthy living stuff. You've done a great job so far and I applaud you for recognizing the slope that you might go down.

I wanted to suggest that you might want to consider your exercise plan. I don't know what type of workout you are doing for 2 hours but maybe you could find something less time consuming and still do something. Even 45 min walking x 5 days = over 200 minutes of exercise a week which is better than 0 minutes. I know if you have been really focused on working out that that might seem like 'a waste' or 'not enough' but try not to get in all-or-none thinking and look for smaller ways to make something happen. Moving your body over a given distance no matter how quickly burns the same calories. I find that when I'm exercising it is easier to stay on the eating plan. One sort of supports the other.

Peg

Hi all.

Thank you SO much for the advice. I realised that I've just had a bad week emotionally speaking- I miss my gym work. I miss my martial arts work. And I don't feel prepared for my exams.

Kiramira: Thanks for the uplifting support. My granny always told my brother, my sister, my mother and I that we were all PHAT slobs (my mother worked damn hard to raise 3 kids by herself on a low salary), so her voice was the first I heard when I gained a pound. I'm getting at myself for having listened to it.

Littlemoonrabbit: Glad to see that my avatar makes you laugh! Kind of sums up my idea of life sometimes. Falling off is a little like riding a bike. You're right. Get up, let the wounds heal and bloody well get back on!

Marina: I did get out and walk the dog this week, so I'm happy about that, even if it was -3C outside every morning! Beginning of winter here, and the rain will start soon (10-12 weeks of solid rain), so being able to workout in this dreary time will be just that little bit harder. But I can do it! I will not be a .

p7eggyc: It's a hard programme: 3 days of circuit training (3 sets, 10 reps each set) and cardio, and 2 days a week of cardio only. But maybe you're right: just tweak it a little and do harder work in less time.